Vivat Regina
by Lirynn
Summary: Ash Ketchum did NOT just spend the last 8 years of her life preparing for the lifestyle of a traveling trainer just to be nearly killed by a shock-mouse. Ash and her Team are GOING to get to this years Indigo Conference and prove to Pallet town that they were wrong about her. Together they will conquer all challenges before them, and they will not falter, and they will Rule.


**Author's Note: OKay. So this idea has kinda been haunting me? Like my Ladybug fic. It keeps coming back to me, growing, being fleshed out and I just kinda have to share at least the parts I have written?**

 **Plus Pokemon kinda fuels my life right now.**

 **Anyway, there are so few _really good_ BAMF!Ash fics but there are way more of those than any Fem!Ash fics AT ALL and I kinda want a BAMF!FEM!Ash, who doesn't do exactly what canon ASh does or all of a sudden has every male paying her attention (Not to say I don't love these, they're HILARIOUS), and I've seen none where she Takes a Level in Badass. **

**It doesn't help that like, my Paragon Female Protagonist Model is like Lara Croft meets Ice Queen? Like. Strong ideas, strong morals, jumps into the fray, is the hero(ine). Also can't people, AT ALL, and kinda keeps a facade and comes across as this cool and in control person while having internal freakouts? And of course is so pretty/beautiful/sexy etc.?**

 **So I wanna try writing one with a Fem!Ash. Also a Different Starter!Ash. Because I Adore Pikachu, I do, but also Ash being a girl or smarter or prepared for the journey does not mean that Pikachu doesn't NOT hate humans for some reason. And also I've recently reread Traveller by The Straight Elf and I've fallen in love all over again with the Nidoran line. (Yes, her starter is a Male Nidoran, YES I'm going to use fanon terms like "shiny" to denote a different coloration, and "King's nature" or something similar as a term to describe a Pokemon with exponentially higher potential usually demonstrated in size but also sometimes in elemental affinity.)**

 **I'm not Pikachu-bashing, I just want a darker take on the Pokemon world in my fic, and things like that aren't gonna be so cut and dry. So no Pika-pal.**

 **I really want to share this, and get an idea of what people will think of this. Plus, I need help. I have these big happenings plotted out, but I don't know how to get there, so suggestions would be welcome.**

* * *

 **Also I put a lot of work into names for this fic, because to me names have always signified a key part of a character's inherent personality or potential. So Imma do the cliche thing of listing them out. They'll be in the story once, then won't be described without reason again. I spent DAYS looking this up!**

Ashaya _\- Ancient Sanskrit: "abode of the heart"_ Ragnild- _"Warrior Goddess"_

 _\- Arabic: Ash "Living" Aya "Miracle or Prodigy"_

 _\- Yoruba: Ashe/Ashay "The Power to make things happen"_

Delia\- _Short for Cordelia: "Heart, daughter of the sea"_ Rhiannon- _"Sacred Queen"_

Roderick- _"Famous King"_ Cadeyrn- _"Battle King"_

 ** _And we all know "Ketchum" is a play on the franchise's catchphrase "_** _'Catch 'em'_ ** _all"_**

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Vivat Regina

 _Long Live the Queen_

 _Prologue_

* * *

Ash was raised by her mother Delia Ketchum, owner and chef of Pallet Town's only restaurant Pallet House, with frequent calls by her father Roderick "Red" Ketchum, former Kanto Champion and Pokemon Master. Very few knew who her father was, and some of the more petty elements of Pallet Town would often claim her a bastard, mostly because a good chunk have forgotten Red's real name.

They wanted for nothing, seeing as Delia ran her family's restaurant happily and Red had a large savings account from just his wandering trainer years, to say nothing of prize for defeating Lance Blackthorn. It was a happy family, and Ash a happy child, if not even more adoring of pokemon than the average child, playing with wild pokemon when they wandered across the yard and joyfully wandering the Oak Corral with her best friend Gary Oak, hand in hand.

When it was time to go to school, Delia decided to send Ash to the local school, whereas Gary was sent to the Viridian Trainer School, seperating the friends truly for the first time. Gary and ASh, when they did spend time together started to fight, each one growing in intensity. Gary, who was being taught the basics of Pokesports (Battling, Contests, Races, etc.) couldn't understand why Ash, who was being given a more basic education (with a focus on Pokemon Breeding, Husbandry, and Business Management) didn't know what he considered basic knowledge started to consider her stupid and lazy and not worthy of his time. The cause no few fights as Gary's ego grew larger than him and he grew dismissive of Ash, because she "wasn't at his level." It finally came to a head when he started a fight with her at the only playpark in Pallet started with Gary reprimanding her for being stupid and ended with the two screaming at each other until Gary declared that she'd never be a good Pokemon Trainer, and that she should just give up now. Ash ended up running home in tears.

 _(Remember, children are cruel, and they tend to follow the member of their little herds who stands out the most. Gary was the grandson of Professor Oak, had all the newest things, and knew lots of things about Pokemon. He was the coolest person their age that they knew. Ash, however, was hyperactive and always wandering off by herself, so she was "weird" and if Gary, the kid who knew **everything** said Ash Ketchum was stupid and ugly and no good with pokemon then they believed him.)_

So when Ash went to school again she was ignored and called "Baby-Ashy" and her things taken and Gary started to make a point of picking on Ash whenever they crossed paths, she decided enough was enough and went to the one person she knew who could fix everything: _Mama._

(Professor Oak was both amused and troubled, because Gary's father was the same way when he was his age with the girl he liked, but it never really blew up in this fashion. Delia was simply _very_ unamused and _He_ _didn't know a whisk could be that threatening please_ _-Delia-_ _stop!_ )

Now, Ash had always been a headstrong girl, determined and proud, and when all the kids and their parents started to say she would never be a Pokemon trainer, that she would wash out and come back home just like her mother;she wiped her eyes, stuck her nose in the air and stomped away. She would prove them wrong, she wouldn't let these idiots tell her what she could and couldn't do; she wouldn't let them insult _her Mama_ and act like they were better than her when _she_ had the best grades and ran the fastest on the playground. Ash strode straight up to her Mama and told her that all the kids at school told her she would never be a good Pokemon trainer, and that she would, she _would_ and would Mama teach her, because she wasn't gonna let anybody tell her what to do and she wasn't gonna let that jerk Gary be _right_.

Delia just smiled. Not her placid, polite smile that she showed her customers and neighbors, or the heartfelt smile she gave her former teacher Professor Oak or cute Pokemon. No, the smile that streaked across her lips was dark and foreboding, and combined with the hooded eyes and the regal tilt to her head, hearkened back when she _dominated_ in fights and Pokemon battles at the head of her own gang. When she gave no quarter and took no prisoners, because _she would not be looked down upon._ The aggression that put her on her beloved husband's radar, because she may not have won her introductory battle with Red _, but she damn well put him through his paces._

Any passerby would have fled in terror, Oak himself would tiptoe away as quickly as possible when Delia got into this bloodthirsty mood, but Ash was simply in awe because her Mama felt _powerful_ and Ash wanted to _always_ be just like her Mama. Delia was just glad that her daughter hadn't inherited her father's mercy for those that wronged him.

* * *

A deal was struck. Ash would have to do more than just her share of chores around the house. She would have to work with Delia at the restaurant and help in the garden, but she had to trust her mama when she said that everything she did would help her on her journey to prove them all wrong. Ash could not have agreed quicker than if they shared a mental connection, and the smile they shared would have sent Darkrai back to the nightmare realm to check that he hadn't stepped into someone's nightmare on accident.

 _(Ash could occasionally be found in the bathroom before bed after brushing her teeth trying to practice her Mama's smile. Delia took_ so many pictures _, and sent them out to her old Gang friends, her husband and proudly showed them off to Professor Oak. They all collectively agreed she was raising a little monster; not that they said that to her_ face _. They didn't want to have it turned on them.)_

At age 7, little Ash was busing tables and taking orders in her Mama's restaurant in her own chibi-sized white apron, and a matching baby blue head scarf to cover her hair. She was the darling of the older crowd in Pallet Town, so sweet and earnest. Of course they also knew what it seemed everyone else had forgotten: Delia had not always been the mild mannered housewife/business owner. She was once a prized student of Professor Oak in the fields of Pokemon Breeding and Battling, and they recognized the gleam in little Ash's eyes as the same in a young Delia Denton, recognized the aura she let out like a young Red Ketchum; ambition and determination.

Delia taught her pride and joy all that she knew, and instilled in her a work ethic that made Masters look like fools. Ash learned the different tools for Pokemon care, from taste preferences to the proper care of different Pokemon species. They visited Delia's Nidoqueen, who had retired to be the Alpha female of the Nido herd on Oak Corral, and had a blast teaching Ash about Pokemon social structures, and how to approach a wild pokemon. To train in Pokemon battling they watched Tournaments as they aired on television, and it lead to Ash's next obsession: Royalty.

Or to be clearer, her idol of the next four years, Queen Ilene of Rota. Ash thought she was just "So _pretty_ Mama. And she's a _Queen_ and she has _pokemon_." The little bundle of excitement squealed. Before this Ash thought you couldn't be a princess if you were a Trainer, but then the Rota Tournament of Champions played and she was determined; Ash would be a queen one day, and if she was gonna be one then her mama _already_ was a queen, and that her Daddy was a king which meant she was a _Princess_. Ash was gonna be a Pokemon Princess, who would go to battle with her Pokemon with strength and grace, and everyone would know who she was. Specifically recognize her as better than Gary Oak, the _jerk_.

Delia laughed and laughed and then told Ash that she _was_ a Princess. In a way. Delia's name was Cordelia Rhiannon Ketchum, Rhiannon meaning 'sacred queen.' Ash's father's full name was Roderick Cadeyrn Ketchum, Caderyn meaning 'battle king.' As the daughter of a 'king' and a 'queen' made Ash a type of princess. Ash literally wore a fake princess crown with blue plastic jewels for a whole _year_ until a little after her ninth birthday, proud as punch and acting just like the princesses in her story books.

 _(Ash remembered to ask what her middle name meant. Her full name was Ashaya Ragnild Ketchum, and Ragnild meant 'warrior goddess.' It actually made Ash feel a bit better, because she had been getting into a lot of fights over her crown and her being a Princess, and with her finding out her name didn't feel as bad about not acting like royalty because she was a Warrior Princess which meant fighting was okay. Delia was amused. Red couldn't respond from his laughter, though Blaze, his Charizard was very proud and let out fire for the little girl on the screen. Professor Oak was expecting this. The school was NOT as lots of unhappy parents had come their way.)_

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Of course, that same year the Pokemon League made an announcement: Beginning Trainer ages had been raised, and when you became a Trainer depended on your region of residence, so no skipping over somewhere else to become a Trainer sooner. Kanto, Johto, and the Orange Islands had upped the age to 14. Hoenn and Sinnoh to 12. Unova kept their age requirement at 13 and Kalos raised theirs to 14 as well. It caused some outrage, especially those gearing up to start their journey's that year, but the most popular consensus was that the league was doing the right thing. It also meant that when Gary went around complaining that summer he ended up with a black eye after whining too much while too close to Ash while she was working at her mother's restaurant. Ash didn't get paid that week was punishment, but she thought it was well worth it.

* * *

Ash Ketchum grew up determined, with the belief that you had to earn the right to achieve your dreams. Ash studied hard at her school so no one could call her stupid, learned diligently at her mother's side so that she wouldn't falter at being out in the world by herself. She saved the tip money she earned working at Pallet House, so that she could afford all the things she'd need for her journey. For every tear of frustration there were two cries of victory, for every sleepless night there was the undeniable feeling of achievement. Ash didn't have much in the way of friends, but she had her mother's support, her father's belief in her, and soon enough she would have her Pokemon, a companion that would be loyal to her as long as she was loyal to them.

And finally, at the end of the school year just before her 14th birthday (and Ash was _so_ happy that her birthday fell just before the cutoff day) Ash took the trainer license exam, and _passed_. Ash had tied for _second_ in the _entire Kanto Region_ with a girl named Leaf Green. Gary had taken first place (much aided with his eidetic memory), and a boy named Damien Gray had earned third place, but out of 802* thirteen to fourteen year old preteens, Ash had earned the right to be sponsored by the Regional Professor. Ash was so happy she cried in public for the first time since she decided to prove all of Pallet wrong about her.

(Admittedly, Professor Oak always planned on sponsoring Ash, but the fact that she earned her spot fair and square meant he didn't have to field calls about favoritism from the league. They were already nagging him about Gary.)

(Oak also had to bite a few heads off of some League Officials. They wanted him to ignore Ash because she wasn't from one of the Trainer Schools, and did in fact smudge the Trainer Test results so that Leaf pulled even. Had Ash gotten 3rd they would've simply switched Damien and Ash's scores, but she hadn't. In the end, Oak agreed to sponsor 4 Trainers instead of the traditional three.)

Ash's journey was set to begin. Now all she had to do was to walk the open road, with her future Pokemon beside her.

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 **What did you think? Eh, Meh, Boo? Any Ideas also? Cause I have the scene where she and Pikachu go separate ways but I don't exactly know how to get there from Oak's Lab with no starters.**

 **Also did you catch the easter egg? 802 applicants is a little funny, as it's the number current number of Pokemon in the Pokemon World as of Ultra Sun/Moon not counting Mega Evolutions and Alolan forms like the Meowth line, the Grimer line, and Marowak.**

 **Well, I have appeased the Muses and Published. May they have mercy on my imagination and story.**

 **(I should probably put down that I don't own the cover image. It's the best I found while scrolling, since I didn't want to use a real person's face, or one of the cosplay photos.)**

 **Yours in Fandom,**

 **Lirynn.**


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